Weekend Roundup: May 4-6

Calgary International Beerfest, Friday and Saturday at the BMO Centre

Sample some of the best brews available in Calgary, and mingle with beer connoisseurs at Calgary International Beerfest. The two-day festival starts Friday, May 4 at the BMO Centre at Stampede Park. Event tastings feature 200 beer varieties and a variety of seminars are available for those who wish to try their hand at home brewing.

On Saturday, celebrate Cinco de Mayo at any of several Mexican eateries. El Mariachi restaurant at Heritage Flea Market serves authentic taquitos, while Tres Marias in Marda Loop serves house-made organic tortillas, salsas and dishes such as empanadas and mole enchiladas. Salt and Pepper, with Inglewood and Bowness locations, offers a wide variety of Mexican dishes. The Chef’s platter is a great sampler for larger groups. This weekend, the restaurant will also feature an outdoor taco bar.

The menu at Julio’s Barrio in Kensington features nacho and fajita platters, numerous salsas and, of course, margaritas. At Los Chilitos on 17th Avenue SW, enjoy Mexican beers, tequilas and fish and prawn tacos on the restaurant’s street-side patio. Its popular weekend brunch includes dishes such as pancakes with cajeta (Mexican caramel) and breakfast huarache, chilaquiles and huevos con chorizo.

Drawing from its popular Tuesday night “taqueria” menu, trendy hotdog hut Tubby Dog will feature a mammoth dog inside a hard taco shell, inside a bun, with chorizo, sriracha, guacamole, sour cream, salsa and chives. Wash it down with Mexican beers like Tecate or a Coronita. Further down the strip, Ox and Angela’s lounge features a variety of Mexican beers, a substantial tequila list and probably the best lime margarita in the city.

The Monsantra Project, The New Gallery

Artists Wendy DesChene and Jeff Schumaki debut their latest work, The Monsantra Project at The New Gallery this weekend. The installation has a B-movie feel, featuring hybrids of robot technology and genetically modified plants engineered by Monsanto Corporation, the world’s largest producer of genetically modified (GMO) seeds.